Element Case Custom Vapor Pro iPhone 4S Case Review

This isn’t the first Element Case we’ve reviewed, it’s just is the coolest (mainly since we custom chose every color on it). The Element Case Vapor Pro is a premium iPhone bumper made out of CNC machined aircraft-grade aluminum, and now it’s completely customizable. It’s lightweight, colorful, protective, and especially unique.

The Element Case Vapor Pro is a bumper case; it runs around the entire perimeter of your iPhone 4/4S protecting all sides, corners, and edges. The front and back of iPhone are completely exposed, that’s why Element Case includes faceplate protectors. The casing is made out of CNC machined aircraft-grade aluminum, and it weighs just 22 grams. It’s finished in a ‘Mil Spec’ non-glare satin finish with hard electrolytic coating that resists abrasion. The inner portion of the chassis is an “aerospace polymer insert” that’s supposed to prevent the signal loss on iPhone 4 from a death grip.

There are six aspects of the Vapor Pro to custom choose colors for. There are three parts of the frame to colorize, then there’s screw color, power button overlay, and lastly, a custom back-plate. The back-plate is a micro-suede adhesive sticker, it helps provide all around protection. You’ll also receive an adhesive front “ear pad” protector which matches the color of your phone.

[nggallery id=1095]

The Element Case Vapor Pro frame is a two-piece construction. It’s applied to iPhone, and then screwed in with the included hex screwdriver. There are four screws, two on each side, all custom colored. The included screwdriver is on a keychain and includes two spare, black, screws.

With the Element Case applied, and tightly screwed in, it feel very nice in-hand. It’s not especially cold, and the aluminum is actually relatively soft to the touch. The cutouts are all as large as they can be, which is good because it’s not a case that you can pop right off when necessary. There’s even a cutout for the sim card, which looks more like a stylish design accent. The charging port is wide open and will accommodate all cables; it’s deep, so it won’t work on most docks. It will most definitely work on the Element Case Vapor Dock.

The colored finish on the Element Case is really spectacular; it features an industrial glimmer that’s hard to take a bad picture of. Even after a few weeks of abuse, there’s just one little speck where something sharp and metal must have scratched the finish. It’s just as bright as the day I received it, and there’s zero scuffing. Plus, it doesn’t show finger prints.

[nggallery id=1096]

The front and back ultra-suede adhesive protectors aren’t part of the actual ElementCase, they can be applied before or after ElementCase is attached. It’s personal preference whether you want to use it or not, we choose to sacrifice a bit of protection to exhibit iPhone’s original aesthetic.

The ElementCase Vapor 4 is completely customizable with 13 different Flux finish colors. The coolest part of the Element Case is that it doesn’t look like a regular case. It doesn’t even feel like an iPhone case; it feels like it’s part of iPhone…which it kind of is. It’s a case unlike any other, and even more so after customization. It’s tough and durable. The only real downside is that you need a screwdriver to get it off…luckily the port and button cutouts are large enough that it’s not such an issue. The Element Case Vapor Pro for iPhone 4/4S is currently available, and customizable, starting at $129.99. It’s a lot of money, but a premium iPhone case. Element Case also makes a similar customizable case, the Vapor Comp, which starts at $99.99. Both can be found at customize.elementcase.com.